Guild
by mormonsrock
Summary: Hey. Naylor here. Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, the Battlefront tells me that we're going underground to some kind of hidden weapons factory. Little did any of us know what deadly surprises awaited us down below...
1. Kyle: I'll Be Waiting

**Kyle: I'll Be Waiting**

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><p>That jerk... I smashed my fist into a nearby window, pretending it was the amnesiac's head, smiling as it shattered to pieces.<p>

That moron... I swung my halberd into the wall, leaving a huge gash where a "don't run in the halls" sign used to hang. It didn't matter. The school would magically fix itself in a couple of hours, anyway. No damage was ever permanent here.

At least, no tangible damage was ever permanent. Emotional wounds lived on forever in this world, they left mangled scars that followed us everywhere. After all, that was why most of us were here, right?

I tried to yank my halberd out from where it was embedded in the wall, much to no avail. That's when a door clicked open at the end of the hall and I heard footsteps approaching.

"Oh, there you are, Kyle," a voice said from behind me. I turned around to find Alexis standing at the end of the hallway. "We're holding a meeting in the Principal's office. Be there in five, 'kay?"

"S-sure thing..." I nodded, not even bothering to hide the halberd stuck deep in the wall beside me. Fortunately, she seemed not to notice. Or maybe she just didn't care.

"All right," she smiled before leaving. As soon as she did, I let out a sigh as I continued walking towards the auditorium, in the opposite direction of the Principal's office. This might've been the one time that I directly disobeyed Alex's orders.

...Well, at least I managed to do something right yesterday. In fact, the brief conversation that just occurred reminded me of what happened last night.

* * *

><p>I was walking through the same hallway the night before, right after Operation Parachute. The mission had been successful, Angel had been fended off long enough for us to gather up enough meal tickets to last us for a while.<p>

I was on my way to my dorm room, intent on getting some shut-eye after all that had happened that night. I'd had to team up with that stupid amnesiac... Maybe I'd take a shower, too. Just to wash off the very essence of being with him for that short time.

Heh. I had to hand it to him, the newbie did pretty well against Angel for his first time. But then again, he would've been toast if I hadn't been there. Not that the situation would've particularly been a bad thing...

"Kyle?" A voice from nearby crashed my train of thought. "Where are you going?" The voice asked. It was sweet and musical. I knew that voice...

"Alexis?" I turned to find her standing at the end of the hallway.

"We're all headed to the cafeteria now, if you want to join us," she nodded towards the cafeteria doorway.

"No, thanks," I muttered as I started to walk away.

"Wait!" I heard her call out across the hall, followed by the quick pattering of her shoes on the floor. "Kyle!"

I came to an abrupt stop when she called my name, and I felt a hand grab my forearm. I stiffened, feeling her hand relatively close to mine, aware that she was now standing right next to me. I didn't turn to face her, I only stopped walking, still looking straight ahead with what I'd hoped was a stone-faced expression.

"I..." she slowly dropped her hand and took a step back. "I guess I just wanted to tell you that you did a nice job tonight."

"Huh?" I looked behind me and saw that she was walking away now.

She stopped and turned back around. "I heard about what you did for Naylor," she smiled. "That was very nice of you, and quick thinking on your part."

"Uh, thanks..." Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Was Alexis actually _complimenting_ me?

"Well," she nodded. "Good night, then, Kyle." And she then began walking back in the opposite direction.

"Wait," I called out. Now it was my turn to chase after her. "Alexis!"

She suddenly stopped and turned around, looking up at me with those mystifying aqua eyes.

"I... I was wondering..." I stuttered. "Could I... join you in the cafeteria?" I cast my eyes downward, avoiding eye contact. That might in fact be the longest sentence that I have said to her yet.

Suddenly I felt something soft and warm grab my hand. I looked down to find that she had taken my hand in hers and was now leading me down the hall to the cafeteria.

"You can sit at my table, okay?" She looked back at me and smiled.

And that time, I didn't look away. I smiled back.

* * *

><p>I finally yanked my halberd out of the wall and continued on walking.<p>

I quietly opened the door to the empty auditorium and unlocked the cupboard under the stage with my key. After I pulled out the chairs that were inside the cupboard, I opened the bulletproof trapdoor inside. I climbed down the metal ladder that led underground, closed the hatch, and went a little ways down the tunnel. When I was satisfied, I picked a spot on the ground and sat down.

That amnesiac may not be _quite_ as bad as I thought... But I didn't quite accept him as a Battlefront member yet. He and I would have a little chat next time I saw him.

But this time, I'd be ready.

This time, I'd be waiting for him.

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhat Minimal Author's Note<strong>

This is the second volume in my "Angel Beats!" series, titled "Guild". If you begin the series here, a lot of it won't make much sense.

You can read the first volume, "Departure" by visiting my page: fanfiction. net/~mormonsrock


	2. Naylor: Operation Parachute

**Naylor: Operation Parachute**

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><p>"Lucas," Alexis said, putting her feet up on the Principal's desk. "Present your report, please."<p>

I looked over to Lucas from my spot against the wall. Everyone in the Battlefront was here, as far as I knew, at least. Alex had simply called us together to check up on things, perhaps to plan the next operation.

Lucas stood up and straightened his glasses. "According to our weapons supply, our stockpile of gunpowder is nearly depleted." He said, taking his glasses off and rubbing the lenses on his shirt. "We should replenish our stock before our next battle."

Everyone silently nodded in agreement, including Alexis.

"Hey, wait a minute," Michael piped up from his spot at the couch, his voice slightly muffled as Jared give him a noogie. "Don't we need more guns, with the new guy here?" He nodded towards me.

Oh, yeah. The gun that I used during Operation Tornado was a loaner from Alexis, so they probably needed a couple more weapons now that I was here.

"Indeed," Alex nodded before standing up on the Principal's desk. How come she always did that? Didn't she know that anyone could see up her skirt? "Very well." She pumped her fist in the air. "Today's operation will be Operation Parachute!"

Operation... _Parachute_? I shivered for some odd reason. Wait, why'd I just do that? Then this sudden feeling dawned on me; an intense, gripping fear of high places... Was I afraid of heights?

"Hey, Naylor," Josh put his hand on my shoulder. "Something wrong?" He asked, visibly concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing," I chuckled casually, trying to seem nonchalant, when in reality I was nearly petrified. "I'm just not that good with heights..." I guess I really _was _afraid. Maybe it had something to do with my life. Stupid amnesia.

"Naylor," Alexis scoffed and sat down on the Principal's desk. "We're not dropping from the _sky_,' she said, crossing her arms. "We're parachuting _underground_." She said as she gave me one of those 'you're-so-stupid' looks that I frequently received from her.

"Underground?" I shouted. What _on earth _could they _possibly_ have underneath a high school?

"Part of our rebellion is called the Guild," Alex said calmly as she pulled open one of the Principal's desk drawers and began rifling through it. "It's hidden deep underground," she said as a frustrated look came across her face, and she opened another drawer and began searching that one as well. "That's where we get all of our weapons," she said, squinting at the drawers. So... there was some kind of hidden weapons factory underneath the school?

"Is it underground so that Angel won't find it?" I asked.

"Precisely," Alexis nodded. "If she found the Guild, then we'd lose our weapons, as well as any chances of winning our battle with her. Aha!" She smiled in triumph as she pulled a small purple cell phone out of one of the drawers, flipped it open, and dialed a number into it.

When I saw her phone, I couldn't help but let out chuckle. The cell phone had a little red demon charm attached to it, complete with horns, black wings, and a mini pitchfork. How fitting.

"Yo, Alexis!" The voice on the other end of the phone answered on speaker. It sounded deep and gruff. "What's up?"

"Hey, Sean," Alex smiled for a brief moment as she spoke. "We're heading down there tonight. We need you to disarm all of the traps."

"All right, then!" Sean said, a smile in his voice. "We'll be waiting!" And he hung up. How many people _were_ there in the Battlefront? I swear, this place was full of surprises...

"Perfect," Alexis grinned as she snapped the phone shut. "We're all going down there tonight!" She got back up on the desk.

A meek "We're _what_?" escaped my lips, but Alexis ignored me. She seemed occupied with something else at the moment, her eyes scanning the faces of the various Battlefront members in the room.

"Wait a minute..." She paused, looking all around the room. "Where's Kyle?" Hah. No wonder it seemed so quiet in here.

Josh shrugged. "That idiot's probably off doing his own thing," he rolled his eyes. "We should just go ahead without him."

Several murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, myself included.

Alexis seemed to hesitate a moment before uttering an uncertain, "Okay..." Huh? This kind of reaction was a bit different than the Alexis I knew...

"All right, then!" Alex suddenly regained her composure and any uncertainty disappeared from her face in a flash. She raised her fist and looked as if she was about to say something, but TK beat her to it.

He suddenly jumped up on the couch and shouted, "Operation: Start!" while doing some kind of complicated breakdancing move.

Alex smiled as she got down from the desk. "Couldn't have said it better myself."


	3. Naylor: That Familiar Swooping Noise

**Naylor: That Familiar Swooping Noise**

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><p>"And... heave!" Ryan called out to TK and Lucas as the three of them pulled an enormous rack of folding chairs out from the cupboard underneath the stage. We had come straight here after the mission debriefing, much to my confusion.<p>

"Um..." I tapped Josh on the shoulder. "Why are we in the auditorium? I thought we were going underground." I couldn't help feeling baffled at our current location.

He smirked at my confused expression. "You'll see," he said, walking towards the cupboard with everyone else. Ugh. Fine, then.

"All right!" Ryan shouted as he loudly cracked his knuckles. "Let's go!" And then everyone started climbing _into_ the cupboard. But instead of having to squish themselves in as I'd expected they would have to, they just crawled in one by one and seemed to disappear from sight, as if the cupboard was bottomless on the other side.

"C'mon," Josh grabbed my shoulder and started shoving me in the direction of the cupboard. "Don't just stand around. We're going."

"I-in there?" I asked as I pointed to the tiny cupboard, peering into the darkness, of the small, cramped space inside. I knew this school was unpredictable, but this was a little too weird for my taste. Did I have claustrophobia as well of acrophobia? I wasn't particularly eager to find out.

"Yes, Naylor," Josh sighed exasperatedly, addressing my apparently stupid question. "In there. Now let's go." Josh was probably the one person that I trusted here, even if he was an idiot at times. Shrugging, I crawled into the tiny space like everyone else. And I kept crawling and crawling forward. This place sure was bigger than I expected. That's when I felt something cold and hard on the cabinet floor. What? I rapped my knuckles on it and found that it made a harsh, metallic sound. Running my hands along the smooth, cold surface, I found that I was sitting on some kind of trapdoor. It was large and metal, and it had one of those giant wheels instead of a doorknob, like a safe.

"Here, lemme help you," Josh said as we both turned the enormous wheel and opened the door. Underneath the door was a long metal ladder that led downward to who-knows-where.

"After you," Josh gestured. "I'll close it on my way down."

Climbing down the ladder, I found that the rest of the Battlefront was already waiting for us at the bottom. Slowly descending to the ground, I found that we were in some kind of underground mining tunnel. When I made it to the bottom, I took a look around. The tunnel stretched farther than I could see in both directions, and it was dimly lit by old, half-burned out lanterns hanging on the dirt walls every few feet. Where _were_ we?

"There's someone here!" Jared gasped as he shone a flashlight ahead of the group. There, ahead of us in the tunnel, I was just barely able to make out a tall, dark figure in the distance... holding a halberd. I mentally groaned. Not this guy again.

"Ugh. Don't worry about him," Josh scoffed as he walked up next to me. "It's only an idiot in his natural habitat." Pfft. He was one to talk.

"Naylor!" Kyle growled menacingly as he thrust his halberd towards me. "I still don't accept you as one of us yet!" I could almost literally see skulls in his eyes, he looked so angry.

"Why did he go out of his way to wait for us down here?" Josh asked, his head in his hands.

Michael shrugged. "Kyle likes to stress the importance of the moment."

"I just don't get him," Josh shook his head to himself.

"Look," I said to Kyle, irritated. "I don't really care if I'm not accepted by you, all right?" I was so tired of this guy.

"Why, you..." Kyle snarled. "How would you like to die again?" He started stomping towards me, halberd in hand, and I gotta admit... I was kinda afraid at the moment. I clutched my Glock in my hands, as if it would actually provide any form of protection from this maniac.

Suddenly, I heard a very familiar swooping noise, and saw a large, dark shape swinging towards Kyle. He turned and saw it, too, but he was an instant too late. The object hit him square in the chest and shoved him into the wall, causing the dirt wall to crumble and bury him underneath it. Then the dark shape swung back and just hung there in the middle of the tunnel. That's when I noticed that it was a giant hammer, just like the one that had killed me (and Kyle) before.

"Defensive positions!" Alex shouted as all the Battlefront crouched down and pulled out their weapons. I just stood there like an idiot until Josh grabbed my shoulder and dragged me to the ground. I was too busy staring at the pile of dirt and rock by the wall. Nothing seemed to be moving from under the pile. Was he... dead? I mentally shrugged. If he was, and that's what it looked like, then he would just wake up in an hour or two and dig himself out.

"Wait a minute," I asked, finally becoming aware of the situation. "What's going on?"

"Just what it looks like," Josh muttered, his eyes darting back and forth. "The route to Guild is armed several anti-Angel instant death traps. You just saw the first one in action."

"Why are the traps still active?" Ryan called out frantically, still in his defensive position. "Are they trying to kill us?"

"Maybe... they just forgot to turn them off?" Michael shrugged uncertainly.

"No," Alex said with much seriousness. "The Guild simply used their own judgement and reactivated the traps."

"What?" Jared squawked. "Why would they do that?"

"It's simple," Alexis said calmly as she got up from the ground and crossed her arms. "Angel has appeared."

"Down here?" I shouted. I guess the 'secret' entrance wasn't so secret anymore...

"Just wild, then," TK said, his tone dreamy and his eyes strangely distant.

"How stupid," Skyler spat in a lethal tone, holding her kodachi knives at the ready.

"Hold on a minute," I interrupted everyone's frantic chatter. "Guild knew we were coming down here, right? And they still reset the death traps?" Some 'allies' we've got...

"Naylor," Lucas cut in with a monotone voice. "It appears that you don't fully understand the situation. No matter what happens, we can't die." He nonchalantly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "It will just be excruciatingly painful for us." That's the part I was afraid of... I looked over to the heap of dirt and rock burying Kyle. I definitely didn't want to end up like that. "Guild supplies all of the weapons that we use in our war against Angel," Lucas continued. "If Guild's whereabouts were to be discovered, we would lose any chances of winning the fight."

"Guild made the right decision," Alexis said, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Then should we go after Angel?" Josh asked, holding up his gun.

"While the traps are still set?" Jared cut in. "Are you crazy?"

"Hold up," I held my hands up, interrupting their squabble. "The traps should take care of Angel, right? So can't we just leave now?"

Alex shook her head. "The traps won't completely stop Angel. They'll only slow her down."

"So... what do we do now?" Josh asked awkwardly, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Easy," Alexis smiled with a devilish grin as she started walking down the tunnel. "We'll just beat her to it."

"Forward march!" she pointed forward with her gun as we all began hesitantly moving forward after her, I not yet aware of the violent dangers yet to come.


	4. Naylor: Gimme a Whip and a Fedora

**Naylor: Gimme a Whip and a Fedora**

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><p>"So..." I asked as we continued down the tunnel, trying to break the awkward silence. "What kind of traps are down here, anyway?"<p>

"Oh, there's all sorts," Josh answered, his gun pointed forward, at the ready, as we were walking forward. "But I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise," he said with a mischievous grin. Ugh. Fine, then.

"Stop!" Skyler called out abruptly, causing us all to freeze. She then paused and held her head high, as if listening to something. She suddenly cursed. "Run! Something's coming!" she shouted as she began sprinting forward through the tunnel. We were all about to follow her when we unexpectedly heard this loud rumbling noise, and it sounded like the ceiling was crumbling from behind us. We all turned to look, and suddenly this large metal ball dropped down from out of the ceiling, roughly the size of the average monster truck.

Then it started rolling. Towards us. It was like something straight out of Indiana Jones.

"Crazy," TK muttered as he started running in Skyler's direction. That's when the rest of us decided to start running as well.

"In here!" Skyler shouted as she waved to us from an alcove in the wall. Alex, Jared, Michael, TK, and Ryan followed her into safety. I was just about to join them when suddenly I stumbled, nearly getting crushed by the ball, but luckily someone tackled me to the ground, out of the way of danger.

Looking up from where I was sprawled out on the ground, I saw Lucas still running for his life, just barely ahead of the ball. He continued running until he and the ball were both out of sight.

A few seconds later, I heard a strangled scream coming from the end of the tunnel.

I rolled over on the ground to see who my savior was, and found that it was none other than Josh. Go figure.

"Lucas," Josh muttered as he stared down the tunnel. "I guess he got caught, then." So we lost another one. So how many of us were left now? Eight?

"Looks like everyone else is okay," Alexis said, coming out of the alcove and staring down the tunnel in Lucas's direction. "All right, then," she said, going down the side tunnel leading from the alcove. "Let's go."

"Wait a minute," I shouted, flabbergasted. "Are we just going to leave him?" Such _great_ teammates...

"It's not like he's gonna die," Josh said from the ground next to me. "If we leave him now, he can find his way back on his own," he said, getting up from the ground. "Here," he said, holding his hand out to me, helping me up.

"Thanks," I said, taking his hand. "Sorry to get in your way back there."

"No prob," he smiled. "In fact, I'm actually getting pretty fond of you," he winked at me. Um... I couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.

"Are you..." I started to ask, shrinking back a little.

"No way!" he screamed, his face turning beet red with rage, and probably a little embarrassment as well.

Heh.


	5. Kyle: War & Laughing Gas

**Kyle: War & Laughing Gas**

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><p>...Where am I?<p>

I tried to rub my head, only to find that I couldn't really lift my arms. It felt like I was just sprawled out on the ground, but with a bunch of weight pressing on my body from above me. What the... was I buried, or something? That's definitely what it felt like. Shifting my position a bit, I was able to move my arms a little. Shifting, my arms I managed to make a small hole in whatever I was buried underneath, creating an air pocket for me to breathe before I suffocated, and died (again).

Well, might as well start digging... I started kicking my feet a bit, feeling some of the pressure above me slowly ease off. After a couple minutes, I was able to free my legs entirely. Slowly clawing my way out, I found that I was indeed buried, under a pile of dirt and rock. After a few more minutes, I was able to see a faint light glowing through a small hole in the dirt. Punching my fist through the rock above me, I was able to expand the gap, and I somehow managed to pull my head up, then my shoulders.

Sitting up, I took a look around, hoping that it may provide some kind of clue as to what the heck happened. I saw rock-and-dirt walls, a long tunnel, half-burned out light bulbs... It looked like I was in the tunnel to Guild, just below the entrance. Pulling myself out of the pile of rock, I tried to recall how on earth I even ended up down here.

Urgh... How did I even get here? I was actually able to rub my head this time. Man... my head was pounding like crazy... I gently slapped my palm against my ear, trying to shake the dirt and sand out of it.

...Oh, yeah. I felt myself grimace as the memory flooded back. I was an idiot in front of Alexis. Again. I tried to yank my halberd out from where it was half-buried under the pile of rocks, with no success, as I tried to think of something else to take my mind off of it.

* * *

><p>Y'know that feeling that you get when you go to the dentist and they give you laughing gas? How when you breathe it in, you feel all light and happy, and you just feel like everything's all right in the world?<p>

Well, the second that Alexis said I could go to the cafeteria with her the other night, I thought that everything was just all right in the world.

And when she'd grabbed my hand... _whoa._ My brain just totally disconnected at that moment.

Now, in case you guys haven't noticed, I don't really say much to people. I tend to keep to myself, trying to say as little as possible, purely out of fear that I might say something stupid. The only time when I _can_ really talk is when I'm angry. But of course, that's when I say the stupidest things. Go figure.

So anyway, when I sat down at the cafeteria table with Alexis that night, I somewhat clammed up. Especially since that idiot was sitting right across from me, _right_ _next to Alexis._

Naylor.

And if that wasn't bad enough, soon he started talking to Alexis. And she seemed to like it. In fact, something that he said made her eyes light up with a smile.

And then get this: she laughed. That _idiot_ could make her laugh more easily with one sentence than I could've with a whole paragraph, no matter how hard I tried. Alexis just... she just seemed to actually _like_ this guy. Unlike me.

I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

Sliding my bowl away from me, I stood up suddenly from the table and walking back towards to door to the hallway with quick, brisk steps. As I was walking away, I heard a voice from behind me call out.

"Kyle?" The voice asked. "Where are you going?" I didn't need to turn around to figure out who that was. I didn't care anymore. I began to move away faster.

I sped up to a run until I was back out in the hallway, slamming the door behind me before sprinting through the halls to get as far away from the cafeteria as possible.

When I was convinced that nobody would find me, I leaned against the hallway wall and slid down into a sitting position. I decided to just sit there for a while, staring at the empty white wall across from me. I huffed out a giant sigh as I laid my halberd on the ground beside me.

Just leave it the stupid amnesiac to ruin something like that.

Just what did she see in that moron anyway? I've been here for way longer than he has. _I _should know Alexis way better than _he _does. The idiot just shows up here one day, and Alexis instantly likes him.

_It's just not fair!_

I slammed my fist into the wall beside me, pain instantly shooting up my arm. I didn't care. I welcomed the pain, satisfied with the large dent I had made in the wall.

None of this would've happened if that jerk hadn't shown up here in the first place. On top of that, every time I tried to put him in his place, I just ended up looking like an idiot in front of everyone, including Alexis.

This meant war.

* * *

><p>"Wait a minute..." I muttered out loud, realization slowly dawning on me as I gradually brought my mind back to reality.<p>

If I was killed by the first trap, then that must mean that all the other traps were active as well! Alexis was in danger!

Frantically trying to release my halberd from the pile of rock, I told myself to relax and stop and think for a bit.

...Great, now I was starting to sound like Lucas… Never mind that! Focus, Kyle!

Let's see... if I was at the mallet trap, then the next one should be the boulder trap. I wrenched my halberd out from underneath the rocks, the sudden lack of resistance sending me flying back into the wall with a puff of dirt. Fortunately, the wall didn't collapse on me this time.

...But depending on how long I've been out, the group might've already gotten past the boulder trap, which meant that the one after that was... I felt all the color drain from my face in panic. I cursed under my breath, running off in the direction of the next trap with my halberd.

I had to hurry if I wanted to find them there in one piece.

Literally.


	6. Author's Note: Naylor

**Author's Note**

* * *

><p>Hello, all. After much thought, I have decided to change one of the characters' names. The one who was originally called by his first name "Blake" will now be referred to by his last name "Naylor".<p>

This is because in the "Angel Beats" anime, the main character could only recall his last name, instead of only his first. I have decided to parallel that now. For details, you can reread the 5th chapter of my other story, "Departure". It has now been changed, and I will revise all other chapters to fit the new name.

I have also changed one of the GlDeMo members' names from "Taylor" to "Tamara", mainly because I thought that "Naylor" and "Taylor" sounded too similar.

I apologize for any confusion. I hope that this change will not drive away any readers.

Anyways, Naylor, the Battlefront, and I will see you in the next chapter of "Guild"!


	7. Naylor: X is for Extreme

**Naylor: X is for Extreme**

* * *

><p>"Will it open?" Alex asked, referring to the locked door at the end of the long, narrow hallway. We were now all crowded together in some kind of metal corridor, even more poorly lit than the dirt tunnel that we entered it from.<p>

"It's not budging," Jared sighed defeatedly as he turned around and leaned against the stubborn metal door with a loud _thunk_.

"Great," I muttered under my breath. "A dead end."

"Quit being such a pessimist," Josh whacked me on the back of the head. "Every one of these traps has _some _way to make it out alive. Some of the escape routes are just harder to find."

I silently rubbed the back of my head, pondering that last remark. That could be useful information. So at least now I knew I had somewhat of a chance of making it out of here alive...

Suddenly, the open doorway on the other side of the corridor quickly slid shut, eliminating our only way out. The doorway was now being blocked by a large metal door with seemingly no means of opening it.

"Oh, no..." Michael said in a meek voice as he turned around the face the newly locked door. "I forgot, this is a trap that shuts you in!"

"Don't forget important things like that!" I shouted at him. Seriously, he couldn't remember that until after we were most likely _doomed_?

"Stupid..." Skyler stared daggers at Michael from where she was leaning against the wall, causing him to shrink back.

Bright lights in the corridor's ceiling then suddenly flickered to life, making it much easier to see. Then we heard a distant whirring noise that seemed to come from all around us, sounding somewhat similar to the noise an old computer would make when starting itself up.

"Something's coming!" Alexis shouted suddenly, diving to the ground. "Everyone get down!" Not wanting to know what would happen if I didn't, I ducked to the floor, along with everyone else.

While I was pressed against the ground, I heard this faint buzzing noise that seemed to pass by where I was on the ground and slowly move to the end of the corridor. What on earth was that?

From where she was on the floor, Skyler pulled out a smoke bomb (where she was keeping it, the world may never know...) and suddenly threw it to the end of the corridor, producing a large cloud of smoke and dust. The particles in the air allowed us all to see something new in the room. There at the end of the hallway, about three feet from the floor, was a small, red, horizontal beam of light.

"What's that?" I asked to anyone who was listening.

"It's a laser," Josh said, looking up from the floor. "It'll cut your body clean in half if you touch it." Yikes. Good thing there was a pretty big distance between the laser and the floor.

Then a second beam suddenly appeared a couple feet below the first. "Round 2 is coming!" Jared shouted as the lasers started coming back the way they came. We had to duck even lower this time due to second laser.

"Round 3 is coming!" Jared shouted after a few seconds.

"What's Round 3, again?" Alex called as she started to get up from the floor.

"It's an X-er," Jared said meekly as we all turned to look, and saw two more lasers form in between the previous two. This time, the lasers formed a giant X.

"How're we supposed to avoid that?" I shouted as I started to get up from the floor.

"Everyone just do what you can," Alexis called as the laser started to sweep back across the corridor. Jared was the first to encounter it, but he was able to jump over it before pouding on the metal door at the end of the corridor. "Let us outta here!" he shouted as he slammed his fists against the metal. Alex was next, and she ducked underneath it. Skyler leapt over it, performing a backflip in the air. Pfft. Show-off. Josh jumped over it without doing anything fancy. I was next. Bracing myself, I leapt as high as I could, and made it over the laser, crashing down hard against the floor. Michael was behind me, and he threw himself to the floor, whimpering. Ryan was right behind him.

That's when I heard a loud, gurgling scream.

I started to get up from the floor to see what happened, but Josh quickly grabbed my head and put his hands over my eyes.

"Don't look!" he cried as he hugged my head against his chest, nearly suffocating me. "You don't want to see that," Josh said, his voice shaking. He sounded slightly nauseous. For that reason alone I decided to trust his judgement.

"The door opened!" Jared cried as we all flooded out of the cramped little room and back out to the dirt tunnel.

As soon as we were out, I heard Michael making heaving noises as he was crouched over on the ground, and a sickening splatter accompanied it. Ugh. I may not have seen that, but I definitely didn't need to hear it. But if what happened in the corridor was enough to make a guy puke, than Michael must've seen something pretty gruesome.

"Ryan got a _little_ too close to the laser," Josh said, walking up next to me. "And right in front of Michael, too."

"So the victim this time was Ryan," Alex said, shaking her head to herself. So now we were down to seven. Our numbers were dwindling.

"There was no helping it," Jared scoffed. "What with his build and all. That guy needs to go on a diet."

"Anyway, I'm just glad that you're okay," Josh said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Although, even if you get completely cut into pieces, you'll still pull yourself back together after a while," he grinned widely, causing me to gulp audibly, like in those old cartoons.


	8. Author's Note: Kylexis

**Author's Note: Kylexis**

* * *

><p>Hello, readers. As you may have noticed, I haven't been able to write many (decent) Kyle chapters lately.<p>

So, I have decided to rewrite Chapter 5 of "Guild".

If you want to check it out, it has a tad bit more of the "Kylexis" sappiness thrown in there than it did before, for all you people out there that enjoyed that. ;)

So, anyway, I guess I'll see you next chapter!

~ Mormonsrock


	9. Lucas: Recovering Consciousness

**Lucas: Recovering Consciousness**

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><p>I could not recall falling into unconsciousness recently. However, the fact that I awoke on the ground with little recollection of how I got there suggested otherwise. Sitting up, I noticed that I was lying in a large impression on the ground. It was one large strip, extremely wide and producing a very deep indent in the soft earth. I looked as if it was the tracks of some large object that had simply rolled through. Looking around, I came to the conclusion that I was somewhere in the labyrinth to Guild. Judging by the deep tracks on the ground, I assumed that I had been killed by the second trap, the one where Sean had decided to imitate a specific scene from a popular movie series, Indiana Jones.<p>

Pulling myself to my feet, I brushed the dirt off of my clothing and searched the premises for a sign of another human being, but found none. No matter. I knew the way to Guild. I would simply rendezvous with the rest of the group on my own.

Walking towards where the exit alcove should have been, I was slightly startled when I heard a voice from afar call out, "Hey, is anyone alive over here?" The gruff, deep voice sounded like that of Kyle's. Responding to the voice, I shouted back.

"Yes!" I yelled as I cupped my hands over my mouth, my voice echoing through the deep tunnel. "This is Lucas!"

I heard that familiar, shuffling sound of Kyle's footsteps, and, as I had predicted, Kyle appeared in the darkness, walking towards where I was near the antechamber. He carried his halberd with him, as always.

"Did everyone else move on?" he asked me when I was within range for us to talk without shouting.

"It appears so," I nodded, answering his question with the knowledge that I had gained from assumption.

He then began briskly walking down the tunnel in the nook in front of me. I followed behind him, wanting to seem submissive due to the fact that Kyle tended to be rather short-tempered.

"All right, Lucas," Kyle said as he loudly cracked his knuckles. "Let's go find the rest of the group."


	10. Michael: That Nagging Feeling

**Michael: That Nagging Feeling**

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><p>You know that nagging feeling that you have in the back of your head when you feel like you're forgetting something important? Well, that feeling was bugging me ever since we got to the giant room right after the lasers, the one with the super-high ceiling that looked at least fifty feet high. Something about it was bothering me, so I decided to try and think about something else, like my upset stomach.<p>

I'd still felt a little queasy ever since the laser trap. I had been standing right in front of Ryan when the lasers got him. I actually saw the lasers cut _straight through him_.

Eugh... I mean, I knew that Ryan would be fine later, and he'd be back in one piece eventually, but... I just couldn't get the horrifying image out of my head. I kept hearing that agonized scream over and over again in my mind. It was all just too much for a fourteen-and a-half-year-old to process.

Both my thoughts and my feet stopped in their tracks as we all heard a loud, creaking noise from above us. Everyone froze.

"What was that?" Naylor asked, looking around for the source of the sound.

I looked up to find that the ceiling appeared to be... getting bigger? No, that wasn't it. It seemed more like it was just getting closer. And closer.

Insert swear word of choice here.

Use your imagination. I've always been to squeamish for cussing, even when I was alive.

Getting back to the story, I simply stared up in shock as the ceiling grew nearer and nearer.

"Oh, no, I forgot," I gulped as it appeared to be approaching faster than before. "This is the trap where the ceiling comes down on you..." I started running towards the exit, thinking that just maybe I could make it if I ran fast enough.

"Don't forget important things like that!" Naylor screamed as he started running with me, along with everyone else.

We were about two feet away from the exit when I felt something firmly pressing against the top of my head, slowly forcing itself down. We were too late.

I squeezed my eyes shut, crouched down, and threw my arms over my head, as if that might provide any protection against the giant wall of metal about to turn us all into a bunch of pancakes.

After a few seconds, I began to wonder why we were all still three-dimensional. I opened my eyes and saw TK crouching in front of me. Holding up the ceiling. _With his arms._

Whoa.

"Hurry up!" he grunted as the metal made this really loud groaning noise, as if protesting against his strength. "Run to her and hug her tight!"

Used to TK saying interesting things like that, I simply disregarded his second sentence and began crawling towards the exit on my hands and knees. Everyone else did the same, mumbling a word or two of thanks as we passed him by.

As soon as I had made it through the doorway and was finally able to stand up again, I heard a loud thud from behind me. I turned around only to find a giant metal panel lying flat on top of what used to be the floor.

So we lost another one, then. Four down. Only six of us left.

I couldn't help but feel a little guilty, just leaving TK there like that, and making him die for us.

"C'mon, let's go," Alex said from behind all of us in the doorway as she started to walk away. "TK's sacrifice won't be for nothing. I'll make sure of it."

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhat Minimal Author's Note<strong>

Hey, guys. In case you haven't noticed already, many of the chapters of "Guild" will be a lot shorter than the chapters of "Departure". This is probably because I keep switching back and forth between narrators in this story.

So anyways, I apologize if they seem too short. But don't worry, a long one is coming soon. :)


	11. Ryan: I Must've Overslept

**Ryan: I Must've Overslept...**

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><p>Ugh... My head was killing me...<p>

...Did I feel a breeze in here? Why was it so cold? I scrunched myself into a tighter fetal position, hoping to provide some warmth. I groped around for my blanket, but I couldn't find it. Why was the mattress so hard?

I finally opened my eyes and sat up, unable to sleep. What time was it, anyway? I rubbed my eyes before looking around the room.

What...? I snapped my eyes open, fully awake now. It looked like I was in... some kind of... metal... room? More like a metal hallway. The walls were WAY too narrow, I could barely fit in between them without having to scrunch up.

...Geez, it sure was freezing in here. I tried to pull my jacket closer to me, only to find that it had been sliced to ribbons, along with my shirt underneath.

_What the_...

At least my pants were still in one piece, thank goodness.

The question was, how did I even get here? And where exactly was "here", anyway?

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a sudden banging on of the walls.

"Hey, anyone in here?" A deep, gruff voice shouted from outside. It sounded a lot like... Kyle? What was he doing here?

"It won't open..." I heard him mutter momentarily before resuming to pound on the walls again.

After a couple seconds the metal door slid open, and there stood Kyle in the doorway, his fist raised in mid-air, obviously stopped mid-pound. Standing next to him was none other than Lucas, looking as calm as ever.

I assumed that Kyle wasn't the one who had opened the door.

"Ryan?" Kyle asked with a surprised look when he saw me. I imagine I must've been a pretty sorry sight, shivering on the floor without a shirt and all.

"Hey, guys," I managed to stutter through chattering teeth.

"What happened to you?" Kyle asked with a slight smirk, nodding towards my shredded shirt. "It looks like you fought a tiger or something."

"It appears," Lucas said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "that Ryan couldn't completely avoid the lasers."

Lasers? So that's what happened to me?

As far as I knew, we only had lasers in one place, and that was in one of the traps on the way to Guild.

So did that mean that we were somewhere on the route to Guild? Then where were the others?

Urgh... I was so confused...

Kyle chuckled as he started unbuttoning his jacket. "I'm guessing that you don't quite get what's going on yet. Here," he said, tossing his jacket to me, leaving only the shirt he had on underneath for him to wear.

"Thanks," I muttered as I shrugged my arms through the sleeves and closed the buttons over my bare skin. I felt a smile twitching at my lips, not that I would let it show.

Kyle usually tried to act all tough and heartless. But no matter how you cut it, he was just a really nice guy.

Even if he was an idiot at times.

Then he and Lucas told me about what had happened, how everyone in the Battlefront was on their way to Guild when they realized that the traps were still active. Not to mention that Angel was on her way down as well.

Geez, how could I not remember any of this?

So did that mean that Lucas, Kyle, and I died? Already?

Man, I was losing my touch.

If I was just a little skinnier, then maybe I would've been able to avoid the lasers...

"C'mon, Ryan," Kyle said as he and Lucas began walking through the metal hallway and out the door on the other side. "Let's get going."

"Going?" I asked as I hurried to my feet to catch up with the two of them. "Where?"

"We need to hurry," Kyle said, quickening his pace a bit, "if we want to catch up with everyone else."


	12. Naylor: Since When Did Alexis Act Timid?

**Naylor: Since When Did Alexis Act Timid?**

* * *

><p>"It's been a while since we've come across a trap recently," I remarked, cautiously optimistic, as we slowly walked through the dimly lit hallway. "Are we almost at the end?"<p>

"Well, actually, we-" Josh started.

"Sh!" Alexis sharply hissed, as she interrupted him by holding up her palm, signaling us to shut up. We all were silenced for a few moments.

Once it was quiet, I could hear a faint crumbling noise... no that wasn't it. It sounded more like something was cracking, like pieces were breaking off of something from below us. In fact, it sounded almost as if it came from the floor itself.

What the heck _was_ that?

All of a sudden, all these cracks appeared on the floor, and were quickly spreading.

"Oh, no, I forgot..." Michael muttered as the cracks began to encircle our feet.

Then the cracks began to turn into holes.

There were now giant, gaping holes right in the middle of the freaking floor.

The holes were rapidly multiplying, the broken pieces of the floor simply dropping and disappearing below, as if there was nothing underneath what used to be the floor.

Just then, the floor completely collapsed below us. The remaining pieces fell into a deep chasm where the floor used to be, and it took us all with it.

"This is the trap where the floor disappears...!" Michael yelled as he plunged down into the abyss, his voice fading as he disappeared into the blackness.

"Don't forget important things like that!" I screamed as my hands frantically scrambled around for something to grab onto. My fingers desperately latched onto the first thing my hands reached and held on tightly for my (after)life. As it turns out, the thing I took hold of was Josh's foot. Grabbing his other foot, I looked above me to find that Josh was clutching onto Alex's ankles. Looking up even further, I saw that Alexis was gripping onto Jared's wrists. I found the explanation for that when I looked even higher, and saw Skyler looking down over the some kind of giant metal beam stretching between the walls. She was lying down on her stomach, holding Jared upside-down by his ankles.

I was so glad she was on our side.

"You guys are too heavy!" Alex gasped from above Josh and me. "I can't hold on!"

"Should I drop down?" Josh called back up to her.

"Wait a minute,I'm _attached _to you!" I shouted back, panicked at the thought.

"Naylor," I heard Alexis gripe through clenched teeth. "Can you climb up?"

"Do I really have a _choice_?" I yelled back up to her.

Here goes...

I gulped. Just don't look down...

I slowly pulled myself up with my arms, using Josh's feet, hearing a cry from Alexis as I moved up the human ladder.

"Whoa," Josh chuckled as I grabbed onto his waistband. "Take it easy down there."

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes at his obvious lack of maturity. "Shoulders next." I was just glad that his pants didn't fall down when I'd grabbed his waist. That certainly wouldn't have ended well.

I climbed up Josh, using his shoulders this time, and put my feet on the top of his head, stopping when my hands reached Alex's ankles. My eyes were just level with her knees, and I didn't dare to look up, remembering that she had on a skirt.

"What are you doing down there?" she said, straining her neck to look down at me. "Stop resting and climb up!"

"_Where_ am I supposed to _grab onto you_?" I shouted awkwardly as I glanced back down to the top of Josh's head, trying to focus on anything other than the problem at hand.

"Anywhere you can!" she burst out exasperatedly. "Just hurry!"

"All right, then..." I muttered to myself before I grabbed her knees and came face-to-face with her skirt. I looked away uncomfortably and stared back down at her shoes.

...Jeez, her feet sure were tiny. They looked almost like a doll's, with the formal, old-style shoes of the school uniform.

_Focus, Naylor_. I shook my head as I wrapped my arm around her waist and prepared to climb up.

...Her waist was pretty tiny, too...

"You'll fall if you grab on there," she interrupted my thoughts as I was putting my other arm around her.

"Yeah, I guess so..." I muttered awkwardly as I put my arms behind her and grabbed her shoulders from the back, squeezing my eyes shut as I pulled myself up. I held my breath, for sheer nervousness.

_Wait a minute... nervousness of what?_ A voice in the back of my head pointed out.

I shook my head again and concentrated on the current task.

When I opened my eyes, I found my face barely millimeters away from Alex's, our noses almost touching.

"W-why are you facing this way?" I stuttered in surprise. My cheeks felt hot when I saw her eyes looking right into my own, a pink blush creeping onto her face.

With my face this close to hers, I could clearly see into her eyes. From this close of a distance, I found that they weren't just blue, as I'd previously thought, but that they also had a bit of green and... purple mixed in? She had multicolored eyes that reminded me of one of those butterflies, the ones that were all three of those colors.

I felt myself take a sharp intake of breath at that moment, and when I breathed in, I found that I could_ smell_ Alexis. She smelled nice and clean, like an ocean breeze or something. I closed my eyes, taking in the scent.

"W-will you hurry and climb up already?" Alexis muttered quietly, causing me to open my eyes. She gazed at me for a few seconds before timidly averting her turquoise eyes.

Whoa. Wait a second. "Timid"? When's the last time Alexis ever acted _timid_?

Shaking my head for the umpteenth time, I yanked myself back to reality.

I liked the way she smelled. We were just gazing into each other's eyes. Our faces were practically touching. None of those were good signs.

I wordlessly climbed up Jared and Skyler after that, unable to get Alexis' multicolored eyes and her pleasant scent out of my mind. Not to mention that our faces were close enough for...

Gah!" I heard Alex shriek from below me when I had finally reached the metal beam. "Don't grab me there, idiot!"

The sentence was punctuated with a familiar slapping sound.

"_You idioooooot...!_" I heard Josh say as his voice slowly faded, sounding as if it was growing more and more distant.

After a couple minutes, Alex climbed up onto the beam. Then Jared came up, and then Skyler. Josh and Michael never showed up.

"Um... What happened to Josh... and Michael...?" I murmured as I stared down into the dark pit beneath us.

"We're down to four," Alex said, looking down into the crevice as she clenched her fists. Her bangs were covering her eyes, so I couldn't see her expression. Her voice didn't sound happy.

We lost two in one trap, then. Things weren't looking good.

I heard a sinister-sounding chuckle from next to me, and I turned to find Jared standing next to me with a very creepy look on his face.

"I'm surprised," he said, an amused smile on his face. "You've done pretty well. For a rookie."

I didn't respond. I just glared right back at him, hoping to break his stare.

Just what the heck was this guy's problem?

"You'll be the next to go," he said maliciously, curling his lip. His expression almost reminded me of the Joker, with that creepy smile of his. "I'm sure of it."

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhat Minimal Author's Note<strong>

Omigosh... I was SO tempted to title this chapter "Naylexis".

...That's all I have to say.


	13. Josh: HighTops and Handcuffs

**Josh: High-Tops and Handcuffs**

* * *

><p>I awoke to find myself sprawled out on the ground in between a pair of giant metal spikes. Talk about weird.<p>

Not only that, but there was a black high-top sitting on my forehead.

"What the..." I muttered to myself as I sat up and held the sneaker in my hands. Where the heck did this come from?

Wait a minute... Just where _was_ I, anyway?

I looked around to discover myself surrounded by at least a hundred similar spikes jutting out from the ground. Even weirder, lying between a couple of spikes a few feet away, was none other than Michael. Out cold.

Opportunity.

"Hey, Michael!" I called out as I threw the shoe at him. "You awake?"

"Huh?" He snapped his eyes open and sprang up suddenly, causing the sneaker to smack against his forehead. "Ouch!"

I couldn't help but smirk. A direct hit.

"W-what are you doing here, Josh?" Michael asked as he rubbed the new footprint-shaped mark on his face.

"I was just about to ask you the same question," I said, walking over to where he was and holding out my hand to help him up.

"Are we..." He said, looking around before grabbing my hand. "In Guild?"

I was about to answer when another black high-top fell out of the air just as Michael was getting up. It landed right on the top of his head, knocking him back down onto the ground.

Heh. Poor kid.

"Where did these come from?" He asked, holding up the pair of sneakers and staring at them in bewilderment.

"Lemme see 'em," I said, grabbing for the sneakers. Michael simply handed me the shoes before rubbing the top of his head, as well as his forehead. He didn't bother to get up.

Holding the shoes, I realized that they were enormous. Size 12, 13, 14-ish, at least. Yikes. The soles were worn down, as if they were heavily used. Scribbled on the left heel in silver sharpie was a giant letter T, and on the right heel a giant K.

Just then, a pair of handcuffs fell from above us and hit Michael on the head with a "thwack". He simply groaned and flopped back down on the ground.

Wait a minute... High-tops, handcuffs, two familiar silver letters... That could only mean one thing.

I looked up towards the ceiling and saw a long, wide, horizontal beam between the two walls about fifty feet above us. And standing on the beam, leaning over us, was TK, a crazy grin on his face.

"Hey, TK!" I called up to him, waving the shoes in the air. "You drop these?"

He wordlessly disappeared over the ledge of the beam. After a few seconds, a rope sailed over the edge and down towards us. TK's head suddenly reappeared over the edge said as he gave us a thumbs-up from the ledge.

"Aw, TK," I grinned as I grabbed the rope. "You're the best, man!"

"Hey, Michael," I turned behind me to find him sprawled out on the ground, groaning as he rubbed his forehead. "Need a lift?" I tossed the end of the rope to him before tying the bit I had around my waist.

Michael wordlessly fastened the rope around himself in a similar fashion before giving me a thumbs-up, the reddish-purple tones of a bruise starting to form on his forehead.

"All right, TK!" I shouted up as I grabbed his shoes and handcuffs, and gave our new lifeline a tug. "We're ready!"

Before I could fully grasp what was happening, I was being pulled upward, watching the wall zoom by me as I rose up. I glanced down at Michael, and saw that his skinny waist was slipping out of the rope. He was now tightly clutching onto the cord for dear afterlife, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.

As we just about reached the top, we were greeted by a pair of neon-socked feet dangling over the edge. Attached to them was none other than TK, sitting on the ledge. I noticed that he was pulling the rope using nothing but his own strength.

When we made it to the top, he held out both of his hands to help us up.

"Thanks, TK," I said as I grabbed his hand, and Michael did the same. "We owe you one."

He simply yanked us up, causing Michael to stumble and nearly faceplant, but TK caught him before that happened.

Too bad. That would've been pretty funny.

"So, TK," I said as I handed him his fallen accessories. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

TK laced up his shoes, and refastened his handcuffs to their rightful place on the chain around his neck. He suddenly gave us that trademark grin of his, and opened his mouth to say something. However, he was interrupted as a voice from afar called out, "Hey, TK!"

We all turned toward the sound and saw three shadowy figures standing in the doorway. One of them wielded a halberd.

I'll bet I know who that is.

"Kyle?" I waved at them. "Is that you?"

"Josh?" Kyle practically screamed as he ran up to me. Beside him were Ryan and Lucas. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing," I said as I ran my fingers through my hair. "TK was kind enough to rescue Michael and I from the spiky pit of death. What about you guys?"

"I believe the correct phrase is, 'Michael and _me_', Josh," Lucas said as he straightened his glasses. "And we are actually on our way to Guild. Would you care to join us?"

"Ha!" Michael pumped his fist in the air. "I knew it! I knew we were in Guild!"

"Don't rub it in, Mikey," I said jokingly as I gave him a noogie. "I knew it all along."

"J-J-Josh!" Michael said through chattering teeth as he struggled against my hold on him.

"...So," Ryan awkwardly cleared his throat after a few seconds of watching me torment Michael. "You guys comin'?"

I chuckled as I released my hold on Michael and let him smooth down his hair. "Count us in."


End file.
